Speed through the Airport

You know the drill. Take off your shoes. Empty your pockets. Off with your belt and metal jewelry. But as of last weekend, there’s one less hassle at American airport-security checkpoints.

Now you can leave your laptop in your bag. If, that is, the bag is “checkpoint-friendly” and TSA-approved.

If you already own a laptop bag, it probably won’t make the cut. But more than 60 bag manufacturers are coming up with new TSA-approved designs, many of which are available already.

Here are three things to look for in a new bag if you want to leave your laptop in it as you go through security:

** Your laptop bag must be one of these three approved styles: 1. the “butterfly,” which zips in half and lays flat, your laptop on one side, and the rest of your stuff on the other, 2. the “trifold,” which has a laptop section that folds out, or 3. the “sleeve,” which is a simple laptop case without any bells and whistles.

** Make sure there are no pockets, snaps, zippers, or buckles on the outside of the laptop compartment of your bag — and your laptop must be the only thing in that part of the bag.

** Thick dividers in bags, or emblems or seals on the outside, give the TSA screener a foggy image of your laptop. Avoid getting a laptop bag with these.

For more details — and to see some handy diagrams of acceptable bag designs – check out TSA’s site at TSA.gov

[Editor’s Note: Learn more about opportunities to profit from your travels (and even from your own home) in our free online newsletter The Right Way to Travel.]